LEADERS of grains industry peak body Grain Producers Australia (GPA) say its coffers are in good health and the organisation is boosting its numbers.
Following GPA’s July 31 annual general meeting (AGM) chairman Andrew Weidemann said the organisation was in robust health financially, posting a profit of $139,000 and with cash reserves of $500,000.
“We’re definitely financially capable of fulfilling our role as a peak body for industry.”
There were criticisms of GPA in its early days that it was not equipped with enough cash reserves to adequately fulfil its role as a national representative organisation for growers or to do its job as a representative organisation, together with Grain Growers, in charge of overseeing the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
GPA board member Barry Large said the group was now working with farming organisations in every state.
“There’s been a lot of constructive dialogue of late,” he said.
Mr Weidemann said an umbrella membership platform, which brings the members of the various affiliated state farmer organisation (SFOs) under GPA auspices, meant there were over 5000 business and personal members of GPA as of the AGM.
He said fears that income from agribusiness would taint decision making were ill founded and that support from farm businesses was a critical part of GPA’s revenue stream.
“It allows us to work towards our simple goal of making the grains industry better, and based on what we’ve done in the last year, I think we’re achieving that.
Mr Weidemann said the organisation’s policy council, which features representatives from all the member groups, had identified some big ticket issues to follow over the coming year.
“Things like biosecurity, trade and market access and stocks reporting will continue to be important for us,” he said.
He said the council was the major method of determining the organisation’s stance on issues.
“The positions the organisation takes are determined in the Policy Council, with input from grower leaders in every grain producing state and the involvement of their professional staff,” he said.
At the 2017 AGM, Luke Arbuckle, Andrew Earle and Ray Marshall were re-elected as GPA directors.
Subsequent to the AGM the GPA board re-elected Mr Weidemann as GPA Chairman.